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Ezekiel 4-7 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

Solomon dies and the Israel splits into two (2) KingdomsNorthern Kingdom - 10 Tribes - Known as IsraelSouthern Kingdom - 2 Tribes - Known as JudahEzekiel begins to prophecy while in Babylon.Southern Tribe (Judah) taken into Babylonian CaptivityThe two tribes are Judah and Benjamin. This begins70 years of captivity (605 BC to 536 BC). Jehoiachinis King and did evil in the sight of the Lord.He only reigned 3 months when Nebuchadnezzar came upagainst Jerusalem (II Kings 24:8)931 BC721 BCEzekiel taken into captivity into Babylon. Chapter 11refers to "good figs and bad figs". These people thatgo during this time are the "good figs".THESE ARE PROMISED A RETURN FROM EXILE(Ez. 14:22-23)Zedekiah is left to rule over the remnant- "bad figs".See Jeremiah 24:8-10Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem is burned down on the10th of Loos.Jerusalem is completely destroyed. The Kingdom of Judahwas taken completely captive. Zedekiah was deported,forced to watch his sons and soldiers killed, and then hewas blinded. This happened because Zedekiah rebelledagainst Nebuchadnezzar and made a deal with Pharoahof Egypt. God was angry with Zedekiah because he madea covenant with Nebuchadnezzar invoking the name of God.Jeremiah had warned Zedekiah of disaster because hebroke this covenant.597 BC593 BC587 BC586 BCNorthern Tribe (Israel) taken into Assyrian CaptivityStill lost after all these yearsOn January 15, 588 BC, Nebuchadnezzar began the seigeof Jerusalem.Ezekiel becomes mute and is not allowedto prophecy by God.585 BC588 BC605 BCCyrus issues a decree to allow the captives back into thecity of Jerusalem. See Ezra chapter 1536 BCThis is the 70years of Babyloniancaptivity for theSouthernKingdom of Judah.Many exiles didnot return to theland because theyhad establishedlives in Babylon.Not Good!!!tells him that all these prophecies have been fulfilled andsuddenly Ezekiel is no longer mute. (See Ez 3)On January 8, 585 BC, somone comes to Ezekiel and

Ezekiel was takenon the seconddeportation. Hewould prophesyfor 20 years.Many Jews werenot allowed toread the Book of Ezekiel until theage of 30,because of hisextravagantanalogies andboisterous

Ezekiel 4-7 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

Ezekiel 4-24 covers the Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah.

It is broken down as such:Ch 4-7 Symbolic ActionsCh 8-11 Ezekiel’s first “temple vision”Ch 12-14 Idolatry will be punishedCh 15-23 Parables and Metaphors******************************************************************************

Today I will be touching on Ezekiel 4-7

(I really try not to make these long each Friday, but sometimes it is hard. That is why I give you the option of being able to print itout in my BlogFrog Community, it may be easier to read that way).

Even though Ezekiel is far away from Jerusalem in Babylon, he is given prophetic warnings to those who are stillresiding in Israel about the coming invasion. At the time, there were false prophets telling the people there would be peace, but God tells the people that disaster is coming. Sounds like the world today telling us we are workingtowards peace, but as Christians the book of Revelation tells us it is going to get worse before it gets better.

Whodo you believe?

Ezekiel was instructed to take a clay tablet with the city of Jerusalem drawn on it and camp around about it(Ezekiel 4:2). Ezekiel then took an iron pan to symbolize a wall between him and the city. This was God'swarning through Ezekiel that the Chaldeans would seal off Jerusalem.

Do you think anyone was listening toEzekiel?

Ezekiel 2:4 tells us he was speaking to impudent

and stubborn

people.

Sin of Israel:

(these sins are important to remember because later you will be asking, why is God so angry. Below is WHY.)

And he (God) shall give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who did sin, and who made Israel to sin (1Kings 14:16). Jeroboam caused the ten tribes to rebel against the authority of the house of David whenRehoboam, Solomon's son, came to reign.

Simply put: they lacked the fear of God!

Ezekiel 22:3-11"You shall say, Thus says the Lord God: A city that sheds blood in her midst, so that her time may come, and thatmakes idols to defile herself! 4 You have become guilty by the blood that you have shed, and defiled by the idolsthat you have made, and you have brought your days near, the appointed time of your years has come. ThereforeI have made you a reproach to the nations, and a mockery to all the countries. Those who are near and thosewho are far from you will mock you; your name is defiled; you are full of tumult."They lacked the Fear of God.“Behold the princes of Israel in you, every one according to his power, have been bent on shedding blood. Father and mother are treated with contempt in you; the sojourner suffers extortion in your midst;

the fatherless andthe widow are wronged in you

You have despised my holy things

and

profaned my Sabbaths

. There aremen in you who slander to shed blood, and people in you who eat on the mountains; they

commit lewdness

inyour midst. In you men uncover their fathers' nakedness; in you they

violate women

who are unclean in their menstrual impurity.

One commits abomination with his neighbor's wife

; another lewdly defiles his daughter-in-law; another in you violates his sister, his father's daughter. In you they take bribes to shed blood;

you take

Ezekiel 4-7 Judgment on Jerusalem and Judah

interest and profit

and

make gain of your neighbors by extortion

;

but me you have forgotten

, declares theLord God.I don’t know about you, but I get a shiver of fear while reading the sins Jerusalem committed and God’s punishment. Some (if not all of the sins) are prevalent today.God then instructed Ezekiel to lay on his left size for 390 days~

appox. 13 months

(we are not told how long eachday he had to do this). Then lay on his right side for 40 days. Left side symbolized the days of judgmentJerusalem would have against them and the right side symbolized their time in captivity. (Ezekiel 4:4-6)(

In theBlogFrog community I break down this important calculation

Symbol of Ezekiel’s sharp sword (Ezekiel 5):

God orders Ezekiel to shave the hairs off his head and his beard, then to distribute them into three parts. God isusing Ezekiel's hair to symbolize how Israel will be defeated. Also shaving the head was a sign of mourning.1/3 of his hair was to be burned inside the city when the siege is fulfilled1/3 of his hair was smitten with the knife1/3 of his hair was to be scattered in the wind and God would draw out a sword against them.A few strands were to be bound and then cast into fire.

Ezekiel 5: 7-9

Therefore thus says the Lord God: Because you are more turbulent than the nations that are all around you(meaning the Gentiles), and have not walked in my statutes or obeyed my rules, and have not even actedaccording to the rules of the nations that are all around you, therefore thus says the Lord God:

Behold, I, even I,am against you.

And I will execute judgments in your midst in the sight of the nations. And because of all your abominations I will do with you what I have never yet done, and the like of which I will never do again.God will go to great lengths to make His people understand that He, and He alone, is God.God’s Judgment (what the distribution of Ezekiel's hairs represented):1/3 will die by plague and famine1/3 would die by the sword1/3 would be scattered (a remnant)God would make her an object of horror to the nationsGod would destroy her with famine, wild beasts, plague and bloodshed.

Chapter 6 is the Destruction Against the Mountains of Israel

In this chapter

(now let this sink in, this is important)

this describes the lengths to which God will go to makeHis people understand that

He, and He alone, is God.

Yahweh also gives us a truth,He has been hurt. God has been hurt by the adulterous, idolatrous hearts of His people. Ezekiel 6:9Even today we wound God when we seek other idols. God reminds us in a powerful way, we may seek advice,we may go to counsel BUT it is God who will answer us. We have become a society today that makes our idolslook pretty. We study Ezekiel and the judgment upon Israel, but look at our society today....is there muchdifference? This should strike fear into those who lack the fear of God and should comfort those who fear God.Those who fear God know God is a God of justice and that he will not allow evil deeds to go unpunished.

Chapter 7: The Coming of God's Judgment